Open AccessExpression and hypoxic up‐regulation of neuroglobin in human glioblastoma cells
Author(s) -
Emara Marwan,
Salloum Nicole,
Allalunis-Turner Joan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
molecular oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.332
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1878-0261
pISSN - 1574-7891
DOI - 10.1016/j.molonc.2008.11.002
Subject(s) - neuroglobin , hypoxia (environmental) , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , globin , programmed cell death , cell culture , cancer research , neuroscience , apoptosis , gene , chemistry , genetics , organic chemistry , oxygen
Neuroglobin is a recently identified globin molecule that is expressed predominantly in the vertebrate brain. Neuroglobin expression increases in oxygen‐deprived neurons, suggesting it protects neurons from ischemic cell death. We report that neuroglobin transcript and protein are expressed in human glioblastoma cells, and that this expression increases in hypoxia in vitro. We also show that neuroglobin is up‐regulated in hypoxic microregions of glioblastoma tumor xenografts. Our finding of hypoxic up‐regulation of neuroglobin in human glioblast oma cells may provide insight into how tumor cells adapt to and survive in hypoxic microenvironments.